Mediate Michigan

It kind of boggles the mind that Camille Grammer, the soon to be ex-wife of Kelsey Grammer–the prolific and talented actor in such hits as Cheers and Frasier–can wave her manicured hand dismissively at a reported $40 million payout and say she wants more for the 14 years she was married to him.

How many other divorcing women wish they could be in that position?

For many women who sacrificed careers to take care of the children, or as I call it, be the President of Domestic Affairs, alimony–a.k.a. spousal support (the terms are used interchangeably)–is rarely allotted in such abundance. In fact, unlike in other eras where laws were established to keep marriages together by penalizing spouses for leaving with a lifetime maintenance obligation, alimony has been trending as a temporary payment to help the non-working spouse create or rebuild a career.

“In general, now spouses are getting approximately one year of maintenance for every two years of marriage,” says Marguerite Royer, a noted divorce lawyer at Moses & Singer in New York City.

via Jill Brooke: The Biggest Mistake Women Make With Alimony.